Wednesday, September 8, 2010

"NYSE Euronext joint venture will trade sustainable energy" (GS)

Goldman Sachs is a major investor in APX, links after the jump.
From FuturesMag.com:

NYSE Euronext will contribute its ownership in BlueNext in return for a majority interest in the joint venture;

APX, a leading provider of operational infrastructure and services for the environmental and energy markets, will contribute its business in return for a minority interest in the venture;

NYSE Blue will focus on environmental and sustainable energy initiatives, and will further NYSE Euronext’s efforts to increase its presence in environmental markets globally while attracting new partners and customers.

New York, September 7, 2010 -- NYSE Euronext (NYX) today announced plans to create NYSE Blue™, , a joint venture that will focus exclusively on environmental and sustainable energy markets. NYSE Blue will include NYSE Euronext’s existing investment in BlueNext, the world’s leading spot market in carbon credits, and APX, Inc., a leading provider of regulatory infrastructure and services for the environmental and sustainable energy markets. NYSE Euronext will be a majority owner of NYSE Blue and will consolidate its results. Shareholders of APX, which include Goldman Sachs, MissionPoint Capital Partners, and ONSET Ventures, will take a minority stake in NYSE Blue in return for their shares in APX. Subject to customary closing conditions, including APX shareholder approval and regulatory approvals, the APX transaction is expected to close by the end of 2010.

NYSE Blue will provide a broad offering of services and solutions including integrated pre-trade and post-trade platforms, environmental registry services, a front-end solution for accessing the markets and managing environmental portfolios, environmental markets reference data, and the BlueNext trading platform. NYSE Blue will expand globally with a focus on North America and Asia. Upon closing of the transaction, Brian Storms, Chairman and CEO of APX, will become CEO of NYSE Blue.

“Our listed companies and markets customers increasingly need innovative tools and trading instruments to manage new types of business risks including those around energy, carbon, renewable energy, water and other environmental factors,” said Duncan L. Niederauer, Chief Executive Officer, NYSE Euronext. “The formation of NYSE Blue and addition of APX will build upon BlueNext’s business and strengthen NYSE Euronext’s position in environmental markets on a global scale by expanding our portfolio of services and attracting new partners and customers.” ...MORE